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The residents of Medway attending Saturday's official reopening of the Jacob Ide museum and house, home to the Medway Historical Society, were impressed and enthused by the extensive renovation of the historic structure, funded in large part by the town itself.
But perhaps even more telling were the comments of out-of-towners from other local historical societies and museums, many expressing admiration and even jealousy for what Medway has accomplished.
The Rev. Dr. Jacob Ide, one of 19th-century Medway’s most prominent religious figures, also had close ties to neighboring Franklin through one of New England’s influential Congregational ministers.
Born in Attleboro in 1785, Ide graduated from Brown University in 1809 and Andover Theological Seminary in 1812. He was ordained pastor of Medway’s Second Church of Christ in 1814 and remained its pastor for 51 years. He was also an educator, training more than 40 young men for the ministry, and was known for his opposition to slavery.
Ide’s Franklin connection was both personal and theological. In 1815 he married Mary Emmons, daughter of the Rev. Nathanael Emmons, Franklin’s longtime Congregational minister. Ide later edited a multivolume edition of Emmons’ writings and wrote a biographical account of his father-in-law.
Ide spent most of his long Medway ministry at the Federal-style house at 158 Main St., built in 1814-15 by Malachi Bullard. Ide lived there until his death in 1880 at age 95.
The Town of Medway acquired the historic property with Community Preservation funds in 2018.
